The invention relates to a fastening element for screwing onto a thread. The fastening can be developed in particular as a wheel nut. In addition, the invention relates to a method for fastening a wheel on a vehicle, in particular on a motor vehicle or a trailer. The fastening element according to this disclosure and the method according to this disclosure can be used in particular in order to fasten one or several wheels to a wheel carrier of a vehicle. The vehicle can be in particular a motor vehicle, preferably a commercial vehicle, a construction vehicle, an agricultural vehicle or a trailer. Other areas of application are also fundamentally possible.
The prior art discloses a plurality of fastening elements, for example, in the form of bolt/nut connections. Fastening elements for wheel fastening are known in particular from the automotive engineering sector.
Thus, for example, wheel fastenings by means of bolts or studs and nuts are described in the prior art. For example, DE 25 08 057 A1 describes a wheel fastening with a stud and a nut, in particular for a bicycle wheel with a planar wheel disk reflector. The wheel fastening is developed in such a manner that the wheel stud is realized as an elastic bolt and the wheel nut comprises a shank with a centring face and a collar with a stop face.
Other developments of wheel bolts are also known from the prior art. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,928,068, EP 1 849 624 A1 or EP 0 836 016 A2 describe different types of wheel bolts which in each case comprise a support ring. EP 0 989 311 A1 also describes a screw-connection part, including a nut and a screw-connection produced therefrom.
In addition, numerous forms of wheel nuts or other types of connection elements are known from the prior art in the area of wheel fastenings. Reference can be made in this connection, for example, to DE 603 11 732 T2, EP 0 370 212 A1, DE 196 55 355 B4, U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,913 or FR 876408. In many cases, said wheel nuts additionally comprise a so-called rotary plate, pressure plate or pressure ring which is rotatably mounted on the wheel nut. As an example, reference can be made in this connection to EP 1 207 313 A1, EP 0 643 232 A2, U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,712, GB 2 051 285 A, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,299, DE 199 56 287 A1, WO 2005/098246 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,498, U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,279, EP 0 004 185 A1, DE 7210833 U, WO 03/093683 A2 or EP 0 131 739 A1. Several of the named documents relate to fastening the pressure plate to the wheel nut. For example, the wheel nut can comprise a groove which is created as a result of cold forming and into which the rotary plate is inserted in a captive manner.
GB 1 331 460 A describes a pre-assembled fastening unit, in particular for use in the aircraft industry. The fastening unit comprises a nut which includes an upper region with a thread and a lower region which widens from the upper region and has a centring bore. The fastening unit further comprises a captive flanged washer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,563 A describes a fastening unit which includes a male part and a nut unit. The male part comprises a cylindrical shank, a head and a threaded part. The nut unit includes a pre-assembled unit with a body which comprises a region with a threaded bore and a region which widens from said region and has a centring bore. The nut unit further includes a deformable flanged washer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,774 A describes an assembly with a nut which comprises a region with a threaded bore and a region which widens from said region and has a centring bore.
However, in practice, in particular in the case of fastening large wheels, such as, for example, in the commercial vehicle sector, in the construction vehicle sector or in the agricultural vehicle sector, the fastening elements of the named type known from the prior art comprise several disadvantages. For example, numerous of the known fastening elements are not suitable for reversible assembly, as is absolutely necessary in particular in the case of wheel fastening. Thus, the safety element described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,563 A is linked with permanent deformation of a washer which may ensure permanent safety but stands in the way of reversible use.
In addition, in particular in the area of commercial vehicles, large bolts and nuts are used and when they are tightened strong axial forces occur. Corresponding pre-tensioning forces, which are usually absorbed by means of additional elements, are necessary for the connection. Thus, for example, spacer disks or spacer sleeves can be used to accommodate a necessary expansion length. However, a disadvantage of these types of structures is that the assembly necessitated by said elements is expensive and time-consuming in practice. Thus it is necessary for several elements to be stored and assembled. In addition, joints occur between the individual elements of the screw connection and these joints can become contaminated and can promote ingress of moisture and corrosion or can result in setting phenomena.